Did you know people with diabetes are more likely to develop periodontal disease than those without diabetes?
Diabetic patients are more susceptible to infection, therefore increasing their risk for the disease.
The relationship between the two actually goes both ways. Periodontal disease can make it more difficult for diabetic patients to control their blood sugar, since it impairs the body’s ability to process insulin.
According to a dentist, periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition that if left untreated may cause damage to the tissues and supporting bone that form the attachment around the tooth, eventually leading to tooth loss and the need of dental implants. These dental implants have become very popular as they do not only improve your dental aesthetics but also your facial and bone features.
People with diabetes are 1.46 times more likely to lose their teeth than healthy patients.
Diabetes patients are also more likely to lose their teeth earlier in life than people without diabetes of the same age. Furthermore, diabetics suffer more severely and more frequently from periodontal disease and dental caries, which while often identified and resolved with dental locally applied antibiotic, also probably increases dental loss in cases where it is not dealt with promptly.
Healthcare providers have identified poor glycemic control as a factor in microvascular disease (retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy) and macrovascular disease (heart attacks and stroke). Experts have developed specific recommendations for preventing and managing these complications. Nonetheless, healthcare providers and endocrinologists seem to ignore diabetes’ effect on oral health.
Researchers from University of Nevada and Emory University Schools of Medicine aimed to understand the factors that contribute to dental loss among diabetics.
For more information on the two-way street between periodontal disease and diabetes, check out the links below:
http://www.hcplive.com/medical-news/diabetes-patients-have-higher-odds-of-dental-loss
